Salvagers of Solubility

High throughput excipient discovery looks set to boost oral bioavailability

August 2017

A collaboration between The Dow Chemical Company and University of Minnesota has yielded a new method allowing the production of excipients that triple the oral bioavailability of drugs, when compared with commercial excipients (1). To further investigate their work, we speak with Theresa Reineke, a professor at the University of Minnesota and Jodi Mecca, a principal research scientist at Dow.

Why is solubility such a problem for drug developers?

The drug discovery process for new chemical entities has shifted to increasingly less soluble APIs, which demand new methods and excipients for delivery. Coupled with the need to understand the mechanism of action in both solid and liquid states makes effective formulation a challenging analytical problem. To build a better foundational understanding of the systems, our work has combined the synthesis of polymers, use of industry standard processing (spray drying), and the development of improved analytical tools. As APIs cover a wide range of chemistries, it is unlikely that a single solution will work in all cases, so an integrated development approach offers the best opportunity for developing API specific solutions.

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About the author

James Strachan

Over the course of my Biomedical Sciences degree it dawned on me that my goal of becoming a scientist didn’t quite mesh with my lack of affinity for lab work. Thinking on my decision to pursue biology rather than English at age 15 – despite an aptitude for the latter – I realized that science writing was a way to combine what I loved with what I was good at.

From there I set out to gather as much freelancing experience as I could, spending 2 years developing scientific content for International Innovation, before completing an MSc in Science Communication. After gaining invaluable experience in supporting the communications efforts of CERN and IN-PART, I joined Texere – where I am focused on producing consistently engaging, cutting-edge and innovative content for our specialist audiences around the world.

About this Article

Published in Issue #0717

The July/August issues features a celebration of philanthropy in the pharma industry, showcasing projects at a number of companies including GlaxoSmithKline and Morningside Pharmaceuticals. Upfront investigates Eli Lilly’s advances in continuous manufacturing and the perils of a “Bad Brexit”, and in In My View, Catherine Bollard argues that scientific funding cuts in the US could be detrimental to global health. In NextGen, Stephanie Corgie gives the story of Zymtronix and its enzyme immobilization technology; and in Best Practice, Stephen Tindal and Ronak Savla argue why a fresh approach to formulation for each new molecule is the most effective. We also Sit Down With Steve Davis, President and CEO of PATH.

Upfront

Reporting on the news, personalities, policies and partnerships that are shaping the development of new therapies. We welcome information on interesting collaborations, new research or emerging techniques that has really caught your eye, in a good or bad way.